1st Florida JMC - fictional unit for T2k (any edition)

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Hey guys, as threatened here's a writeup for a military unit based in Orlando. I did one that I stuck in the middle of another thread, but I reworked it a bit. It combines information about the unit and post-1997 Orlando proper, but I think it works in general. I tried to dial in as much of what I could conceive as "realism" as possible. I live in Central Florida, and there's a stupid amount of small civil airports around here; I would think that for at least a few years just given what's at the airports in Sanford, MCO, Orlando International (technically part of MCO) and the Executive Airport downtown you could keep a couple of helos flying for a good bit, especially with some assistance from the folks at Embry-Riddle.

Likewise, while most (if not all) cars would have been zapped by EMP, Orlando is an insanely spread out place and consequently there's a LOT of gas stations and fuel depots around. Even if you take out a third to a half, I think there's going to be a little bit of gas available until you get distilling up and running.

Finally, Florida exports more food than it imports nationally and internationally. Even with our ridiculously bloated "snow bird" population we've got these days, while it wouldn't be a picnic, food growing and harvesting would be easier here than practically anywhere else (environmental damage taken under consideration, of course: I don't foresee it being a cakewalk by any means, but still, if T2k has food being grown in frigging Manhattan then by God central Florida would fare well enough!)

As far as vehicles go, yes, for reals the highway patrol barracks has a LAV-100 and LAV-150 stationed at it, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office has an ACAV! I figure most of TRANSCOM's (the 143rd over on Corrine Drive) assets would be in Europe, but had a few here for convenience's sake (maybe they'd been repaired and were awaiting redeployment).

The 1st JMC isn't a "rogue" military unit; the powers that be formed a "kampfgruppe" if you will out of necessity. They realize that "Good luck, you're on your own" may also well apply to them for a long, long time and are trying to maintain some sense of safety and order in Orlando until things stabilize and they get orders to stand down.

Finally, this is a beta and I'd love to hear everyone's feedback...

1st Provisional Joint Military Command, Orlando, FL.

Current strength: 702 personnel

Location: Former NTC Orlando

Equipment: 2x M113A1 (ex NASA), 1x XM734/MICV (ex-Orange County Sheriffs Office), 1 Cadillac-Gage LAV150 (ex Florida Highway Patrol), 1 Cadillac-Gage LAV100 (ex Florida Highway Patrol)

1x Bell Jetranger (ex-Private ownership), 1x UH1 (ex Forestry Service)

3x M985 HEMETT, 8x M998 Humvee, 4x civilian Humvee (modified/upgraded)

Equipment: hundreds of small arms, ammunition, medium support weapons including .50 calibur machine guns mounted on vehicles, LAW rockets, some mortars.

Prior to the nuclear attack on the United States in November 1997, the Orlando, Florida area was home to several small military units, most of whom fell under the auspices of CentCom. An Army Reserve transportation unit, USMC and USN reserve stations and the remainder of personnel at the closing Orlando Naval Traning Center, as well as smaller commands located at infrastructure and simluation teams near the University of Central Florida and US Army and Navy ROTC commands at same all totaled approximately 1500 non-combat deployed personnel.

After the Thanksgiving Day Massacre, which included the destruction of CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, NTC Orlando and 377th Military Intelligence command met for an emergency meeting. EMP had damaged (but not destroyed) long-range communication with continuance-of-government sites in the US; orders received from various commands were often confusing and contradictory. When no immediate, clear orders were forthcoming, the various commands in the Orlando area acted in nearly unique concert with one another to try and salvage the situation as best as they could.

Orlando was (like most of the United States) suffering from a massive humanitarian crisis. Locations generally west and south of the Pine Hills suburb had recieved some fallout from the Tampa groundburst; the further south-west the worse the danger. Most of the tourist areas had been at least somewhat contaminated, and while quick (if uncoordinated) response from Osceola county's emergency management prevented many casualties, the resulting panic nearly overwhelmed Orlando itself. Most tourists from out of state (or country) attempted to reach Orlando International Airport, Orlando Executive Airport and Sanford Airport. All of the civil aircraft had at the very least been damaged by EMP, and conditions in the airports quickly spiraled out of control. Severe damage to the power grid meant little or no food or water beyond whatever could be quickly prepared before spoilage. Fear and desperation in the Orlando area turned to frustration, then to anger. With many police in the metropolitan area looking to their own, "the Military" attempted to provide what security it could for government personnel and civilians asking for assistance.

1998

The literal and figurative fallout of the 1997 nuclear strikes continued to be felt acutely into 1998. A colder and dryer than normal winter coupled with rampant strains of influenza took a massive toll on the civilian population of Orlando. Fearing widespread outbreaks of typhus from unburied dead and lack of proper sanitation, thousands fled further south. This exodus continued until rumors of resurgent Seminole and "white supremacist" (likely New America) death squads operating throughout the southern Florida countryside began to filter in. However, even with a comparatively bitter winter, the Joint Military Command managed to hang on. The deep division between a Civilian and Military government was felt: National Guard units that were operating out of areas north and east of Orlando (fallout from the Cape Canaveral nuclear strikes had blown out to sea) to distribute food and fuel were frequently deployed under orders from differing authority. It was rumored that some units under orders of CivGov were to apprehend JMC personnel and deny aid to JMC "supporters", but it is to this date unknown if this was rumor or truth. At any rate, as emergency food and fuel stocks dwindled through the winter and into the spring, support from CivGov and MilGov became less and less tangible as the focus was on the still raging third world war. Late in the year, the JMC (now calling itself the 1st JMC, or simply "The 1st") attempted to coordinate with farmers and ranchers throughout Central Florida. Deseret Ranches in west Brevard county had been virtually abandoned and without proper care and feeding (and in no small part to predation by wildlife and desperate people) most of the herd there (plus nearly all dairy cattle) had died off. The winter had been particularly cruel, freezing most vegetable crops to death, with growers having little to spare beyond what the farm families themselves needed to survive.

However, the end of 1998 did see one unusual but helpful event: 20 personnel, crammed into two M113A1s, arrived at the NTC in late January. These were the handful of survivors and family members from Cape Canaveral. The two APCs were originally intended to be used as rescue vehicles in the event of a launch pad disaster. The rescue personnel, along with family and some provisions had made the 30 mile trek from the Brevard disaster area.
[Hurricanes?]

1999

The winter of 1999 was somewhat better; the JMC was able to restart generators at two major hospitals in Orlando; the few students and professors from the University of Central Florida medical school along with a great deal of help from chemistry department personnel were able to make limited amounts of antibiotics (+/-) both dry and liquid. As the "hospital district" in downtown Orlando was mostly intact, the 20000 or so remaining residents of the Orlando Metro area gradually migrated towards it. This was a true blessing not only for the JMC but for the various police forces: a concentration of people, while presenting its own set of challenges, would make protecting the population from marauders that much easier.
With alcohol fuel production in full swing (and some supplemental gasoline still available now and again), essential vehicles and limited public transportation could operate. While there was no stricture put on personal vehicles per se. However, as most late model cars suffered the destruction of irreplaceable computer ignition and timing and fuel injection and a host of other microprocessor parts in each one, few civilian owned automobiles remain in operation. The few that do are "classic" cars from the late 1960's back.

Given the smaller area required to patrol, the Orange County Sheriff's Department placed its "Crisis Response vehicle", an XM734/MICV (a modified ACAV M113 with firing ports) "on loan" to the 1st JMC. The Highway Patrol detachment did the same with their LAV-100 and LAV-150. Although most of the 143rd TRANSCOM was engaged in Europe at the time, three M985 HEMTT and eight M988 HMMWV (and later four "abandoned" civilian variants of same) were available for the 1st JMC to use.
Midyear saw more good news for the 1st JMC: students from nearby Embry Riddle aviation college in Daytona Beach who had evacuated to Orlando worked with Navy personnel to build up a working Bell Jetranger, scavenging together and repairing EMP damaged parts from helicopters at the Orlando Executive Airport. Likewise, a Forestry Service UH-1 was put in working order. This, coupled with a huge amount of AvGas available for the taking from the above-mentioned airports enabled, and continues to enable, the 1st JMC to fly observation missions - an invaluable asset.
[Hurricanes?]

2000

The year 2000 has been particularly rough for both the 1st JMC and Orlando. While the mobility and firepower of the JMC are formidable, they cannot be everywhere at once. The New America forces regularly probe the I-4 Corridor into Orlando, as well as unguarded side-roads, "liberating" still occupied homes and neighborhoods (usually killing the occupants) and moving to contact and engaging JMC guardposts and strongpoints. Additionally, Seminole insurgents have stepped up their guerrilla attacks, usually striking at the southeast and north fringes of Orlando and surrounding towns, looting and killing. The net result is that over the course from 1999 into 2000, the JMC has been diminished from it's original post-TDM strength of approximately 1500 to 702. It is highly probable that New America knows about the AvGas available to the JMC and the two helos it possesses, so a large push to remove them and "liberate" Orlando will come sooner than later. Furthermore, the fuel to fly the aircraft won't last forever, regardless of whether it is used, destroyed or goes bad. Orlando is a comparitive oasis in the middle of an otherwise chaotic state, and the powers that be within the New America structure lust mightily after The City Beautiful and are highly motivated to wrest it from the military's control.

[antimedic]

NICE. I agree with you 100% about the food production. Even many of the urban counties in this state still have alot of agricultural areas. Plus the sea. Look at all the horse farms in the Ocala area and cattle ranches in NE Florida.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Thanks! I've been trying to sort out what police departments throughout Central Florida have actual armored vehicles and how close they are to Orlando; the OPD, OCSO and local Highway Patrol barracks giving theirs over was a natch, but I would tend to think places like Apopka, Volusia County and other more remote locales would look to their own first.

I initially thought about what I had in my rough draft, that an E2C from the run-aground USS Saratoga would have limped to Orlando and be operating as a weather-eye, but I'm saving stuff like that for a possible "Conch Republic" write-up should I ever tweak this to my total satisfaction.

I'm also thinking about lessening the number of casualties somewhat, maybe bring the total strength up to 1000 plus a recruit platoon.

For what it's worth, here's a scratch OOB:

1ST FLORIDA JOINT MILITARY COMMAND ORDER OF BATTLE, c.2000:

1ST ARMORED COMPANY:
1st Platoon : 128 men, 2 heavy weapons teams (M60-D, SAW)
2nd Platoon : 113 men, 2 heavy weapons teams (M60-D)
3rd Platoon : Track 11 (XM728 MICV), Track 22 (M113A1)

2ND ARMORED COMPANY:
1st Platoon: 94 men, 1 heavy weapons team (SAW)
2nd Platoon: 100 men, 1 heavy weapons team (M60-D)
3rd Platoon: Track 33 (M113A1), Track 44 (LAV-150)

1ST RECON COMPANY:
1st Platoon: 77 men, 2 heavy weapons teams (SAW, M60-D)
2nd Platoon: Track 55 (LAV-100), Track 66 (M998)

1ST SUPPORT COMPANY:
1st Platoon: 46 men, 3x M252 82mm Mortar
4x M998
1x HEMETT

2ND SUPPORT COMPANY
1st Platoon: 31 men, 3x M252 82mm Mortar
2x M998

1ST AIR WING
1x Bell Jetranger (improvised skid-mounted M60-D)
1x UH-1 Huey (door-sling mounted M60-D)

...

Drivers not included that's 610 personnel, so I think there'd still be a considerable reserve force at the NTC. The guns on the helos are really for suppression if they happen to fly directly over hostile forces, the JMC knows how fragile and irreplaceable the birds are and consequently they observe only.

[Fusilier]

Nice work.

Personally, I'd go for the smaller numbers and not boosted up to 1000. But that's just me. I like it though.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Originally Posted by Fusilier

Nice work.

Personally, I'd go for the smaller numbers and not boosted up to 1000. But that's just me. I like it though.

It's incumbent on the ORBAT of NA out of St. Pete and the Seminole insurgents. Despite the mobility and firepower if those two other factions are just head and shoulders stronger it'll end up being a bloodbath at which point why bother, unless...hm, maybe characters can be deployed to Orlando to help tip the balance.

We'll see.

[Rainbow Six]

I like it...well done.